Hot Kiss Sells Majority Stake
Moshe Tsabag, founder of the Los Angeles–based Hot Kiss juniors brand, has sold a majority stake of the company to Bluestar Alliance, a private-equity fund on the growth track.
The deal, in which Tsabag sold an undisclosed majority of the $100 million company for $20 million, is expected to help the juniors brand to launch a retail division, grow its licensing program, partner with better manufacturers and possibly lower its prices, Tsabag said. “We are very excited about what this means for Hot Kiss,” he said.
Tsabag will remain with the company as director of marketing and merchandising. His children, Hallie Tsabag and Jordan Tsabag, who work in the marketing and sales departments, respectively, will also remain at Hot Kiss. The company showrooms in Los Angeles and New York, as well as Hot Kiss’ headquarters in Los Angeles, will all remain intact, Tsabag said.
Jak & Rae and Emphasis, Hot Kiss’ contemporary and diffusion lines, were not part of the deal with Bluestar. “They have both been on hold since last fall. We hope to revive them later,” Tsabag said. —Erin Barajas
